THE National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (Finas) will equip accountants with the skills to play a role in the creative industry.
This is to ensure that they will not only be capable of handling production tasks but also have the ability to secure funds from foreign countries.
Finas chairman Datuk Kamil Othman said the human capital development approach would help put the film industry on the international stage.
"The role of producers in filmmaking is significant, but we often hear that the director is the same person who produces, acts and so on due to financial reasons.
"This is our shortcoming. Therefore, one of the things Finas is currently focused on is to create a generation of producers who understand the intricacies of financial management in film production, as well as know how to obtain funds from foreign countries," he said in a Bernama report.
Kamil was speaking at a recent Finas seminar on award-winning Malaysian film, 'Tiger Stripes', held at the government body's Studio Sound Stage in Ulu Kelang, Selangor.
Using the Amanda Nell Eu-directed film as an example, he said the international cooperation in the production of 'Tiger Stripes', involving Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Indonesia, and Qatar, had automatically opened up market opportunities abroad.
Talking about the seminar series, Kamil explained that it would serve as a platform for sharing ideas and knowledge about local films that have won international awards.
"This seminar is organised by the Industry Training Unit, Industry Development division of Finas and its objective is to be an idea-sharing platform about films that have succeeded internationally, to stimulate creative thinking.
"To begin with, we will have sharing sessions about the success of films, and in the future, we may share experiences and knowledge with producers and so on.
"With such sharing, the new generation of students in this industry can gain experience while building good relationships with industry practitioners," he said.
Last year, 'Tiger Stripes' won the Grand Prix Award at the 62nd Semaine de la Critique during the 76th Cannes Film Festival in France. It was the first Malaysian film to do so.
'Tiger Stripes' has also been officially selected as the Malaysian contender for Best International Feature Film at the 96th Academy Award (Oscars) set to take place in March.
The Malay-language, coming-of-age horror drama tells the story of 12-year-old Zaffan (played by Zafreen Zairizal), who reaches puberty when she realises that she is transforming in horrifying ways, and becomes fearful of her own body.
When her friends discover this unsettling development, they begin to reject her.
'Tiger Stripes', which also stars Deena Ezral, Piqa, Shaheizy Sam, June Lojong, Khairunazwan Rodz, and Fatimah Abu Bakar, will stream on Netflix globally from Feb 15.
